Gross Halloween Food Ideas & Recipes

Sure, everybody likes gross-out food at Halloween, but what are the easiest recipes to follow for homemade yucky food ideas guaranteed to make your guests giggle and (hopefully), gag?

Here are some quick instructions and ingredients for making truly disgusting snacks and spooktacular party treats that will make any Halloween party a hoot:

Mummy pizza

Follow any simple recipe for English muffin pizza, but instead of just sprinkling mozzarella cheese over the top, use strips to make a "mummy wrap" topping. Use slices of black olives and bits of pepper for the eyeballs.

Wormy pudding

Grab a bunch of gummy worms and hide them inside chocolate pudding cups (homemade or store bought). For an added touch, stick more gummy worms on top to make it look like "the worms crawl in, the worms crawl out..."

Witches' fingers

Buy plain premade cookie dough. Roll small pieces of dough out in to a ball and then in to a log shape. Making regular notches to resemble knuckles. Make an indentation at one end and fill with raspberry jam. Top with a slivered almond piece for the fingernail. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Skeleton bone cookies

Pinch off pieces premade cookie dough and roll into 8-inch ropes. Fold 1 inch of each end back to form a small ball and pinch ends to make bone shapes. Repeat to shape all the dough into skeleton bones. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Kitty litter cake

The grossest of gross Halloween recipes, all this requires is a vanilla cake mix, crumbled cookies, and some Tootsie Rolls. Make the cake, top with cookie crumbs and add softened Tootsie rolls to resemble cat poop. Heighten the illusion by serving in a new, clean kitty litter box. Serve with a clean pooper scooper. Yuck!

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Oktoberfest Party & Food Ideas

Nothing says autumn fun like Oktoberfest! A centuries-old tradition begun in Munich, Germany, the seasonal festival is now beloved the world over and celebrated everywhere from Tokyo to Milwaukee.

Host your own Oktoberfest party with these step-by-step tips and instructions, and get ready for some fall fun, feasting .... and lots of beer:

1. Willkommen friends over by printing your own invitations using German Oktberfest clipart of beer kegs, beer steins, beer glasses, bratwurst or party goers in lederhosen.

2. Decorate in the colors of the Bavarian flag, with lots of blue and white balloons. Also consider German travel posters, or printouts of Bavarian food and beer steins to hang on the door and walls.

3. To make your venue look like a traditional German beer hall, line up tables in a long row - for a fun night of communal feasting and drinking. Use a beer stein or beer pitcher filled with fresh flowers, and surround with small German flags as an easy and decorative centerpiece.

4. Search the Web for traditional German & Oktoberfest food and recipes which are a tradition of any German party or Oktoberfest theme - such as weiner schnitzel, bratwurst, sauerkraut, gingerbread, apple strudel and black forest cake.

5. And what would an Oktoberfest be without the beer? Just make sure it's German beer such as pilsner, wheat beer, stouts and lagers.

6. Get everybody in the party mood by playing a German music or drinking song collection CD, or if your budget allows hire a local German band for a memorable live performance.

7. Lastly, no Oktoberfest celebration would be complete without a traditional chicken dance to get everyone up and mingling. (It's even more fun after hoisting a few!)

Prost! – Cheers!

More about Oktoberfest party & food ideas around the Web:

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Cheap Kids Party Venue Ideas

How to throw a a cheap or affordable party away from home for your favorite birthday boy or girl?

It may take some work, but the money you save makes for a fun and memorable party that you may want to repeat year after year.

First, start with a party location checklist to make sure your chosen venue can accommodate the kind of kids birthday party you have in mind:

• Budget
• Number of guests
• Food storage or cooking facilities
• Indoor or outdoor (depending on time of year and liklihood of good weather)

Once you decide on the type of birthday party venue that works best, start thinking about local organizations that may fit your plans and budget.

These may include neighborhood groups, clubs, or places of worship that may offer free or very affordable party space for neighborhood families. Also consider neighborhood playgrounds, community centers, the local YMCA, or even the local firehouse. Most of these venues are open to hosting kids birthday parties for a small deposit or donation.

Helpful hint: If you don't reserve a date and time WAY in advance everything will be fully booked. If so, there is always the local fast food joints like McDonalds. Most chains in suburban areas will offer the use of an indoor or outdoor playground for free, with the only major cost the purchase of a kid's meal for each child.

Meanwhile, if your child's birthday happens to fall during the summer months - lucky you! The warm weather season provides one of the cheapest outdoor venue ideas for hosting a great kids party at a nearby park or beach. Of course, the weather might interfere, so always have a "Plan B" ready in case of rain.

For a great beach party, simply lay out a couple of beach blankets, unload the cooler, take out the sunblock, and party! Don't forget games and activites like sandcastle building or a fun seashell scavenger hunt.

Picnic areas in public parks also make for a fun summer barbecue party. Best of all, hosting a kids party on a weekday (especially in the morning hours) may guarantee that you'll have the whole place practically to yourself.

Finally, in what may be one of the biggest drawbacks to the DIY party venue (unlike party-and-go restaurants where you leave the mess), most free or affordable venues means the final cleanup falls to YOU.

If that's the case, be sure to arrange a special activity that involves the kids and some small trash bags, called "The Cleanup Game". It was devised by one clever mom who routinely gives out a cool prize to the guest who fills up their trash bag the fastest!

With a little ingenuity, finding a kids party venue location - from planning to final cleanup - can result in a fun and easy birthday celebration that doesn't break the bank.

More about cheap kids party locations around the Web:

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